Prediction of monthly discharge in ungauged catchments under agricultural land use in the Upper Ping basin, northern Thailand

The present paper describes a methodology proposed for surface runoff modelling in gauged and ungauged subcatchments of northern Thailand. Gauged catchments are modelled using calibration against measured flow data, whereas streamflow in the ungauged subcatchments is simulated by a disaggregation procedure utilising measured streamflow data from a larger gauged catchment in which the ungauged subcatchment may be nested. The disaggregation technique is based on the assumption that the streamflow contribution from each subcatchment to the total catchment yield is proportional to a ratio of the catchment area and its average slope. The Mae Chaem catchment in the Upper Ping River basin was selected as a case study for applying the approach. The model testing performed in two subcatchments, where the modelled streamflow was compared with the measured data, showed that the first pass approach algorithm provides the accuracy of 13-17% of the relative error for the monthly time step.